contrail

American  

[kon-trayl] / ˈkɒn treɪl /

noun

1. a visible condensation of water droplets or ice crystals from the atmosphere, occurring in the wake of an aircraft, rocket, or missile under certain conditions.

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contrail British  

/ ˈkɒntreɪl /

noun

1. another name for vapour trail

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Etymology

Origin of contrail

First recorded in 1940–45; con(densation) trail

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Explanation

The white, smoke-like water vapor that follows the path of an airplane is called a contrail. On a clear summer day, you might see several contrails criss-crossing the blue sky. The next time you see the elongated, cloud-like lines in the sky that linger long after the plane that made them has disappeared, you'll know to call them contrails. They're caused by condensing water vapor from an airplane's exhaust. The word dates from 1945, a shortened version of "condensation trail," and they're sometimes also called "vapor trails."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contrail

"The CO2 penalty is in the order of less than 1%, compared to the contrail cost, which is of a similar order magnitude to all of the CO2 of aviation," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Tweaking the flight paths of a handful of aircraft could reduce contrail warming by more than half by 2040, at a cost of less than £4 per flight.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2024

The plane passing over Montreal during the partial phase of the eclipse left a typical contrail in its wake.

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

Another SpaceX launch a couple of weeks earlier had caused a stir with its eye-catching streak of light and contrail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2024

I climbed out of the blockhouse and caught sight of the wisp of its contrail as it fell downrange.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

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